


sittin’ in a tree

by CupcakeOfAwesomeness



Series: arsonist and old lace [2]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: (spoiler: not actually unrequited), Bonding, Brooke Lohst-centric, Conversations, Crushes, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Pining, Secret Crush, Tree Climbing, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CupcakeOfAwesomeness/pseuds/CupcakeOfAwesomeness
Summary: They climb a tree when they're sixteen.[or: brooke takes a page out of evan hansen's book.]
Relationships: Rich Goranski & Brooke Lohst
Series: arsonist and old lace [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139942
Kudos: 4





	sittin’ in a tree

**Author's Note:**

> The second fic in my new mini series of short one-shots based on the old song you'd sing as kids to tease each other, you know the one:
> 
> "[name] and [name],  
> Sittin' in a tree!  
> K-I-S-S-I-N-G!  
> First comes love,  
> Then comes marriage,  
> Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"
> 
> So anyways this lil fic consists of Brooke and Rich sitting in a tree,,, yeah 😂 
> 
> (ALSO potential trigger warning there's a quick mention of suicide! It's brief and not any of the main characters, but yeah, despite it being pretty on par for this musical, I wanted to mention it just in case 🤗)

There was this weeping willow tree with branches shaped _perfectly_ for climbing. It was a crime _not_ to embark up its twisted trunk, perching atop a thick offshoot configured almost like a chair. Of course, Chloe thought it was stupid. Chloe thought most fun things were stupid; Brooke still had fun with her though. It was just more Pinkberry and shopping type fun, as opposed to tree-climbing and karaoke-singing type fun. 

Whenever Chloe wasn't around (aka hooking up with Jake), Brooke would find solace in this willow tree, sitting within its branches, the leaves providing a semblance of privacy. She liked to sit and read, or do her journaling, or facetime Kat, or any number of other things to pass the time until Chloe wanted her back. She wasn't lost without Chloe, she told herself. She was just _loyal_. 

“ _Fuckin’ stupid_...”

Brooke peered down as a short boy shoved through the wall of leaves, cursing under his breath and stomping furiously. He almost appeared to be having a conversation with someone, though he didn't seem to notice Brooke above him. With the trademark red streak through his hair, she recognized him immediately and a grin spread across her face. 

“Hey, Rich!” she called, waving down to him. 

He jumped, nearly falling to the ground as he whipped around to search for the source of the voice. Once he saw her though, he erupted into a large, toothy grin. 

“Brooke!” He put his hands on his hips, shaking his head fondly. “What the hell are you doing up there?”

She shrugged, kicking her legs playfully. “‘S fun. Wanna join?”

It took him a moment to reply. She watched him consider her offer, face contorting through several emotions which Brooke couldn't discern. She thought she heard him muttering to himself as he looked down at his feet. She tilted her head, ready to let him know it was okay if he didn't want to, when he lifted his eyes back up to meet hers, smile gracing his lips. 

“Okay, I'm comin’ up!”

He hoisted himself up the base of the trunk. It wasn't particularly high, so he made it to a split between two thick branches in record time. Across from where Brooke sat was another seat-shaped branch, though he had to duck under one and finagle himself over another to get there. Once he was finally seated, he was slightly out of breath, grinning proudly at her. She chuckled, booping his nose playfully. 

“Good job, R,” she said. 

“Thanks, B,” he returned, sticking his tongue out at her. 

Her heart fluttered at the nickname; she couldn't even remember how the two had coined them, but everytime they used them, she felt herself falling even further for the boy. Meeting Rich the year prior had been the best thing to come out of this whole high school experience so far. Everything about him was somehow adorable beyond belief and simultaneously hotter than the sauna at Chloe's parents' winter lodge. He'd never like her though, so she kept her crush to herself, avoiding the inevitable rejection should she voice it. She didn't mind, so long as she still got to hang out with him. 

“So... ‘s almost grade eleven,” Rich said, casually. “You excited?”

“I guess,” Brooke said. “Summer ending kinda sucks, but that just means Halloween is coming!” She beamed as she thought of last year's party, when she'd dressed as a sexy nurse and felt actually _cute_ for once, especially after Dustin Kropp waltzed over and nonchalantly asked her out. Of course, she'd then discovered he'd been rejected by Chloe moments earlier, and after only a few months of dating, he'd started cheating on her with Jessica Jorgensen, but Halloween itself had been awesome. “Do you have any plans for this year?”

“I don't think about it this far in advance,” Rich admitted, scratching his chin. “My older brother used to have some Jason mask lying around, maybe I could dig that up...”

Brooke hummed in acknowledgement, saying nothing at first. She knew all about what had become of Ray Goranski. His suicide greatly affected Rich, especially on the anniversary of his death. She was proud at how he was healing—being able to bring him up without struggling was a good step—yet she could tell it still took its toll. She reached over and placed her hand atop his comfortingly. 

“I'm good... Thanks, Brooke,” he said, softly. The smile he gave made her stomach twist into knots happily. 

“Of course, Rich...” Then, unsure of how to breach the subject of his dead older brother, she changed the topic. “So, what're you doing here, anyways?”

“Oh. Um, just walkin’,” he said, shifting on his branch. 

“You seemed upset,” Brooke pressed, gently. “I just want to know if there's anything I could do to help.”

He opened his mouth, closed it again, hesitated, then said, “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

Her brow furrowed, but she took that as her cue not to press further. 

“I appreciate you wanting to help, though,” he added, smiling softly. “You're literally the best person I've ever met in my life.”

“Aw!” She felt her face flush and she batted her hands awkwardly. “I'm sure I'm _not_ , but thanks, Rich.”

“You really are,” he insisted quietly, and he sounded so solemn that her flustered smile dropped instantly. 

If _she_ was the best person he knew... 

“I think you need to get out more,” she teased, poking him lightly. He laughed along with her, though there was no gleam in his eyes. Brooke swallowed; her smile was forced. 

Something foreboding was going on, and all she knew was that she didn't like it. 

**Author's Note:**

> This tree is based on a real tree by my elementary school that was very fun to climb and sit in lol
> 
> Brooke has a couple dependency issues involving Chloe, but she'll be fine 😌✨
> 
> Rich may or may not be struggling with his SQUIP rn 😌✨ ***Johanna Riggs voice*** whO kNOwS? ((That was a very specific reference that I'm certain no one will get lol but it's funny to me))
> 
> Brooke can tell something's up, but she's not sure what. (Spoiler Alert: it's the SQUIP 👀)
> 
> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed this, and the series as a whole!!! 💜💜💜 ~Jayce


End file.
